Opera

The hype and scandals over bitcoin may have died down but cyptocurrency still has some very strong believers and pushers. One of those is browser maker Opera, who is dead set on claiming the title of the first web browser with built-in crypto wallet access. That’s already true for its Android browser and now it’s doing the same for the desktop with a small twist. It’s coming via a Labs version you’ll have to install and use separately from any other Opera desktop browser.

Opera has pushed out an update for its Android mobile app and with it comes several new features, not the least of which is night mode. As in other apps, the new night mode turns the interface black and gray, making it easier to stare at for long periods of time at night, as well as reducing eye strain for individuals sensitive to bright backlights.

Opera is launching a new mobile browser today, and it's making some big promises about how it will change the way we browse on on our phones. Dubbed Opera Touch, this new browser is centered around one idea: letting you browse with one hand, leaving your other hand free to do anything your heart desires. In a world so focused on multitasking, Opera Touch might actually be a mobile browser worth downloading.

It seems that Opera is in the process of shutting down the mostly free services that have actually resurrected its brand in the mobile market. Last year, it shut down the data monitoring and data saving Opera Max app. Now it's doing the same for Opera VPN, its free VPN service for mobile. The announcement ironically comes at a time when the use of and interest in VPNs are on the rise due to recent events in the tech industry.

The surge of fame, or infamy, that cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, is now enjoying has made some a tad too desperate to cash in on the hype. Desperate but enough to risk investing in such a fickle business. And so they will let others take the risk for them whether those others like it or not. That is practically the line of thinking behind a new class of intrusion called cryptocurrency mining that threatens to render devices, including smartphones, inoperable or even dead. Opera is coming to the rescue with a new version of its mobile browser to protect your phone from such drive-by attacks.

As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rise in value, a number of websites have been caught hijacking visitors' browsers and using their devices to mine digital currency without permission. This is a problem for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this causes the user's computer to slow down and grow very hot. Opera is offering a convenient solution to the problem: an anti-cryptocurrency mining protection feature built into its browser.

Virtual reality is still a bit of flux at the moment, with so many players and so many variables that make the setup a tad complicated. When you do manage to get your hands on a rig powerful enough to run VR programs and a not so cheap VR headset, you will sometimes discover that the experience isn't all that, especially when it comes to simply watching videos on YouTube. Opera is trying to fix the latter by baking a VR player into the next version of its web browser.

Following its launch in 2014, Opera has decided to discontinue its data-saving app for Android. The app is no longer listed in the Google Play Store, but existing users will get to use it for a while longer. Eventually, though, Opera is going to terminate support for those who are still using the app, forcing them to switch to a different product altogether.

Although it probably had the biggest share in the web browser market, the bloat that was known as Internet Explorer soon dragged Microsoft's name down to the Internet Hall of Shame. Given than notoriety, it almost seemed that its new browser, Microsoft Edge, had an unfair disadvantage. Unsurprisingly, the company put its marketing and advertising machine into high gear, including tests that claim superior battery life for the Edge. However, most, if not all, of these proofs and counter-proofs were made by browser makers themselves. Fortunately, Linus Tech Tips decided it was time to have an independent test done, and the results might surprise you.

In a world full of Chromes, Foxes, Safaris, and Edges, is there still room for other web browsers? Opera, which precedes some of those, definitely thinks so. After toying around with some possible features in its experimental Opera Neon, the company is folding some of those more successful ideas into the newest version of Opera. Meet Opera Reborn, which has built-in social network chatting so you won't have to waste your precious office time switching between apps or tabs.

Yes, Opera Mini is still alive. The name once synonymous with web browsers for phones, whether smart or not, has practically been overshadowed by the likes of Chrome and Firefox. That's not to say, however, that Opera doesn't have something unique to offer anymore. Keeping true to its core mission to help users save data, Opera is announcing new features it is rolling out to Android, including its own built-in download helper as well as Facebook monitoring and notifications.

Opera is getting an update to version 43 today, and with it comes a number of improvements all about speed. As outlined on the Opera blog this update aims to decrease load times and work alongside existing speed features such as native ad-blocking and optimized start-up times. There are two main speed features in Opera 43, and they sound like they'll be welcome additions.